Diabetic "supplies"

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Hello everyone,

Need advice on this....

Student has a pump and its connected to her phone (APP) which mom also gets alerts.

Our school policy is no cell phones for jr high students.

She has been caught using her cell phone for social media and not checking it for her diabetic number/info.

Her doctor orders and her 504 says she can use her diabetic supplies whenever. So because the phone is connected to her pump and is monitoring it can she claim the cell phone is a needed "supply" for her testing?

Thank you for your help

What info is the app giving her? I think this *might* be the question here. Unless the app is giving her some kind of info she cannot get from her meter, I would say it is not a necessary item to have. If mom is getting the info as well, and can call the school is she is noticing a dangerous downward trend, etc, then perhaps the student doesnt need it? Especially if she is not being responsible and using the device as her diabetic supply.

Specializes in School Nursing.

Im not 100% sure what APP it is. All I know is that it is connected to her meter and sends alerts to her mom's phone if shes low/high. If she is away from the phone the signal is lost. So im sure there could be a fight that the phone needs to stay with her to keep the signal.

My MS diabetic carries a phone to use the app (but also wears an apple watch set up to alert each time her BG is taken). The student also, per her parents' request is to text her parents after taking insulin/eating something for high/low BG so they don't worry. If she doesn't text them and they see her going up/down they'll call me, and I will call whichever classroom she's in. She's a well behaved kid and never has tested the rules on this.

I would talk to administration and talk with the parent. A compromise must be made. Maybe mom can talk to her or some sort of parental controls can be set on the phone. Perhaps the wording of the 504 needs to be altered to be more specific stating that her cellphone can be used ONLY for diabetic related issues.

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Yea, sounds like you need more information about how this is "supposed" to be set up.

Specializes in School Nurse.

My thought is, that if the app is used to monitor her BS, then the student should only use it for that. If the student is using her phone for social media etc, then that is a discipline issue that needs to be referred to an AP.

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i am not terribly phone savvy, but i believe there are apps that can put a time out "parent lock" on other apps. Apps like offtime can be installed (or there are probably better ones, as i said, i'm not a phone techie person) to lock out instagram or facebook or whatever during school time. Perhaps you and the admins can meet with the parents to discuss and suggest this.

i am not terribly phone savvy, but i believe there are apps that can put a time out "parent lock" on other apps. Apps like offtime can be installed (or there are probably better ones, as i said, i'm not a phone techie person) to lock out instagram or facebook or whatever during school time. Perhaps you can the admins can meet with the parents to discuss and suggest this.

^This. Freedom, AppBlock, OurPact, Tasker; just to name a few :) She's already proven that she can use her phone appropriately and these can be used solely to block social media during restricted hours.

Specializes in School Nursing.

We have a cell phone contract that student's must sign for appropriate cell phone usage if they are to have access to it for any reason.

Violating the contract has the same disciplinary measures that any other student would have for inappropriate cell phone use. Use it for what it's for, or lose privileges to other things.

Specializes in School Nursing.

Thank you everyone for the feedback. We talked it over, and ADmin is going to deal with it, because honestly it is a discipline issue.

Specializes in School nursing.
Thank you everyone for the feedback. We talked it over, and ADmin is going to deal with it, because honestly it is a discipline issue.

If the student is using a CGM, the alert can go straight to the CGM device, which looks a bit like a cell phone, but isn't one.

Old data can be seen on the app on a cell phone and I've gotten student's permission to use the phone for that, anything else is subject to discipline and I hand it off to my Dean like you did.

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